The Great Gift Return

It began on Christmas Day: People heading to the stores to return gifts. Barely out of the gift wrap and into receivers hands, newly acquired gifts became commodities to exchange, pooled for greater value, or to simply to cash-in.

We've all done it: The sweater we received from our Mother-in-law, the duplicate console game, the unwanted book we'll never read.

The bottom line: We don't like it, we don't want it, or we'd rather have something else.

And that leads me to the subject of this Blog post: The Great Gift Return.

Just like Christmas or Birthday gifts, we sometimes treat our talent/personality gifts in the same way. We don't like them, we don't want them, or we'd rather have something else.

"I wish I could sing like her." "It would be great if I could write a book." "Why can't I be more creative?"

Could it be that we secretly want to dance with the stars, that we picture ourselves on the stage instead of Taylor Swift, that being the Ultimate Fighter is our ultimate fantasy?

May I offer this:

• Be secure in how you were created. The Great Creator made no mistakes when He equipped you the way He did. Find what you can do and do it well!
• Do all that you can to cultivate, improve on, and leverage your giftings. Raw talent is a good start, but one must invest in themselves over one's lifetime.
• Learn new skills in addition to improving those that you have. There may be some latent creative seeds ready to bloom inside of you.

Disappointment over what we didn't get is a reality in Christmas gift receiving, and in talent/personality gift receiving. You can either accept what you have been given and make the best of it (not resignation but capitalization), or you can attempt a return. Good luck with that.

Question: When have you wished you could do something like someone else? Share your thoughts below in comments.

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The Season Of Selfishness

You've seen them: The crowds in the malls and the stores. You've stood in them: Seemingly endless lines at the check-out register. You've waited in it: Slow cooks, servers, and customers at your favorite restaurant. What do these all have in common? People.

Who makes up those crowds? Who waits in those lines? Who serves us our meal? People.

These are the very same people who make up our worlds, who contribute to our society and economy, and who ultimately meet our needs. They move from being essential to being in the way.

I was troubled by a post this week where the writer said he would appreciate a Christmas gift while at the stores: More check-out registers open to accommodate the added customers. What troubles me is that in the season of giving, there seems to be an added layer of selfishness in many people. Joy to the World and Peace on Earth have been replaced with O, Come on Already and What Inconvenience is This?

May I offer a solution? (This solution does not involve making all of your Christmas purchases online.) Find creative ways to spend your waiting time during this busy time of the year.

• Look for opportunities to encourage those who must work to serve you: Smile, be thankful (say it), leave a bigger tip...
• See the people around you as frustrated, aggravated, and inconvenienced (kind of like the way we feel), and do something to brighten their day: Let someone in front of you in line, hold the door, tell an elderly person they "look good..."
• Go the extra step with those who are seeking to make a difference of their own: Buy a cup of coffee for the Salvation Army bell ringer, send an anonymous thank-you note to the home of a family that decorates their house promoting the real meaning of Christmas (their address should be on the mailbox), take the gift card you received and drop it off at your church or local charity...

Simple, creative gift-giving that can go a long way toward changing the way we see the people who make our lives inconvenient during this joyous time of year.

Question: What are some of your ideas for moving from selfishness to giving? Share your thoughts below in comments.

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Commuting Observations

Like most Americans, I commute to work every day. Same time, same route. Depending on how quickly I get out the door in the morning, usually the same commuters.

This morning, a lady in a dark blue SUV was behind me for the first 5 minutes, talking on her cell phone while her son sat next to her, bored & ignored.

I noticed the usual service-business-owners (their trucks had information on them) on the way to their first call. Many looked tired.

Needing to drive on the main artery that feeds a local Air Force base, I travel with a lot of military commuters. They too are going to their jobs. I wonder if I will see them tomorrow, or if they will be deployed to the other side of the world. I am thankful for their service.

Of course there are the other Mini Cooper owners that pass me (or I sometimes pass). We do the "three-finger-Mini-wave" and continue on.

One of my regular favorites: a Harley rider, completely uniformed in a pot helmet, leather jacket, gloves, jeans, leather chaps, chained wallet, and on his feet... Crocks!

Tomorrow I will see some of the same drivers, in the same vehicles, making the same commute. Life will go on.

By the way, the lady in the dark blue SUV talking on the cell phone: She reappeared behind me at a red light 15 minutes later, still talking on the phone, still ignoring her son.

Question: What do you observe during your commute? Share your thoughts below in comments.

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Stop For A Minute...

You are busy. Everyone is. Stop for a minute...

You have your job. Some have more than one job. Stop for a minute...

You have your family. Some have more than one family. Stop for a minute...

You have your recreation. Some have more than one recreation activity. Stop for a minute...

You have your cooking, cleaning, shopping, gift wrapping, card writing, rehearsals, kids activities, travel, school finals, project deadlines, bolg posting, creative endeavors, bill paying, Facebook updating, leading, influencing, relationship building, ministry, exercising, and on and on...

Stop for a minute...

May I suggest that in the whirlwind of your activity, you stop for a minute... Catch your breath, refocus yourself, and ask what is the purpose behind the activity I am involved in right now?

Many of the things that we are doing are not our choice: we must do them. But at this time of year, some of the things we are doing are our choice. A good question to ask is why?

Stop for a minute...

Question: Are there activities you are doing this Christmas season that are not very purposeful, but are simply something you do? Share your thoughts below in comments.

If you like this post, you can re-post, put it on your Facebook status, or forward it to your friends. Follow me on Twitter @bigcloudmusic if you find me interesting. Subscribe to this Blog if you'd like.